Johanna Kandl
:
Path in Loosdorf
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Panels with quotations from poems carved into them have been erected along a path leading from the village into the fields. They refer to their location or to the topography and atmosphere of the Weinviertel. The panels are painted rust-red, the text has a gold leaf inlay.
The piece that Johnann Kandl made for Loosdorf and its inhabitants is a homage to the Weinviertel region. It is a complex conceptual artwork but also a simple Sunday promenade. A 3 km long parcours leads out of the village into the fields, along the edge of the woods, back to the village. The artist has mounted boards along the path on which quotes from poems from Artmann to Trackl have been carved onto the surface with laser. These quotes make direct references to the immediate exhibition site or more generally to the topography and the atmosphere of the Weinviertel, serving as subtitles to underscore the natural scenario.
The boards have been painted in a burnished red. The lines of the text are set in real gold leaf, and when the sun shines on them, the words sparkle and shine. With irony and humor, Kandl transforms the landscape descriptions of the poets into an artwork which now actively really describes the landscape, especially since one sees the actual ground of the forest through the negative letters. Her artwork is free of sentimentality and ìheimatî kitsch. Kandl remains objective and argues with precision. Yet still her emotional involvement and her inner movement can be clearly felt given her love for the Weinviertel. This affection can be literally read from here artwork.
(Brigitte Huck)
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